Lights were Out Making Crickets Talkative
by Tatrin
Summary: When Jack Frost hovered over the beautiful manor, he was not expecting it would be more than a quick foray to spread his snow in the garden. He was surprised to sense the familiar suffocating presence of a demon.


**Lights were Out Making Crickets Talkative**

Jack landed on the newly frozen garden as the boy reached to ten. The child gazed back at the house, before focusing on Jack. His eyes were calm, and his smile reflected that too. "Hello. You must be an ice demon."

"Nice guess, but no, I rule over winter. I prefer to be referred as a spirit, thanks. I'm Jack Frost. You're playing hide and seek with that girl?" Jack referred to the auburn haired girl who had ran into the manor of this garden.

The boy nodded. "She found me. It was quite unexpected. I didn't exactly built any stories she would need to believe in to see me. I gather that she must be one those rare ones that believe in just about anything." His purple eyes began to shine slightly and then it dimmed again as he smiled politely. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Sue."

Jack swiveled his head left and right to check any new apparitions or changes in reality the second Sue's eyes glowed. It was a rather common knowledge (that even humans got it accurately) that demons' eyes glow when they actively use magic. Jack's head snapped towards the general direction of the manor when she let loose a little scream. The winter demon locked eyes with Sue's again. "And here I thought I met a nice demon."

"It's just a little scare to spice up the hide and seek. Dorothy is not dead." Sue hummed. "Is there such a thing as a nice demon?"

"Of course there is. I met some. The animal fairies for one were nice to me."

"A kitten and its owner are in danger of drowning; they'd save the former rather than the latter."

Jack thought up another one to list. "Mother Goose."

"Giving grounds for parents to pour ice-water bucket over their children's heads when they tell them the world is actually not that pretty."

The white haired Immortal scoffed. "That's too farfetched to earn you a point. What about Santa Clause?"

"Who is he to judge children's moral values? Do you know how devastated some children can be when they receive coals? They think it's a confirmation that they really are good for nothings."

Jack shrugged. Sue could see he agreed with him too. "Well… I fancy myself as a nice spirit."

"I heard you've killed your six thousand and seven hundred ninety ninth child this morning."

The Immortal simply smirked. "So you do know me."

"Are you going to list more, Jack Frost?"

"For the record, I ease their passing by numbing them. I don't cause their deaths. I quite dislike knowing they're in pain."

"You need a stranger to admit that you are actually nice?"

"Hmm. Nah. Nice are subjective anyway. I should leave now. More places need to be snowed. Bye, Sue," Jack smiled at the air and in an instant the Northern wind picked him up.

"Goodbye to yourself."

Jack's flight stopped a second later. "Wait, what demon are you?"

Sue cocked his head. It was not exactly a question most would indulge, but Jack had asked out of an impulse and Sue must have decided it was just an innocent question. "Blood demon."

Poor Dorothy. "Ah, well. It's nice to meet you, anyway." Jack cheerfully said and flew away. His bond with the wind lets him to be able to travel the Earth constantly with no need to rest such as one with telekinetic or flight abilities, and Jack didn't need to turn around to see that Sue was probably feeling a little bit envious.

Halfway across the country, Jack felt a slimy black stain on his snow, indicating a living soul had been taken. "Ah.. 6800th." Child. Not adult. Actually, he lost count how many adults he had delivered Under after the Second World War. Mmm.. He felt like stopping by to chat with the Warden. Guy had nothing to do but gossip about how many human souls various demons (spirits, fairies, ghosts, creatures, apparitions or whatever other nicknames they have) have delivered Under.

* * *

 **A related story featuring more of Sue's part is titled _Darkness Settled Making Crickets Talkative_ in the crossover section: Rise of the Guardians x Dorothy (Hide and Seek : Story of Dorothy). **


End file.
